Constitutional Convention Heading to Grand Portage in January

Published
January 3rd, 2018

An initial round of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Constitutional Convention meetings will conclude January 22 and 23 at Grand Portage Lodge and Casino.

The meetings will be the seventh round in a series that started last August at Mille Lacs. Each reservation was scheduled to host a two-day meeting, and an additional meeting was held December
14 and 15 in St. Paul at the InterContinental St. Paul Riverfront. The Tribal Executive Committee (TEC) of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (MCT) voted last summer to hold a series of meetings to consider changes to the Constitution, which was originally ratified in 1936, revised in 1963, and amended in 1972.

At the first meeting, hosted by the Mille Lacs Band at Grand Casino Mille Lacs, the Native Nations Institute and the Native Governance Center facilitated. Native Nations Institute staff gave a presentation on tribal governments and constitutions across Indian Country.

Each two-day meeting included a presentation titled “The Development of the MCT Constitution” by MCT Attorney Philip Brodeen, followed by group discussion designed to help participants think strategically about the MCT’s future.

The second day of each meeting looked at why some Native nations have been more successful than others, which included discussion of what is and is not working well in the MCT and Band governments. The meetings finished with sharing of ideas on how to strengthen the MCT and Band governments.
See millelacsband.com and future issues of Ojibwe Inaajimowin for updates on additional Constitutional Convention meetings.